Feel Again
by bethygrace
Summary: Collection of Olicity and co one-shots based on the lyrics of OneRepublic's "Feel Again" because it's what I hear when I see those little bits of life in Oliver's eyes when he looks at Felicity.


**A/N: This is going to a random collection of one-shots that tie together with the song "Feel Again" by OneRepublic. They aren't in any particular order, and stand on their own as individual fics.**

**I don't own Arrow, the characters, or the song "Feel Again." If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfic...or maybe I would...from my pool.**

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He wasn't sure if this made him voyeuristic, but nothing could've convinced him to look away at that point.

Who knew ten minutes of watching his IT girl could wash off the day like a heavy rain?

He still wasn't sure what drew him to her, to her fire escape, to be more specific. The pressure of the day, he supposed. The weight of the task they faced everyday had nearly buried him today, to the degree that he had to tamp down his instinct to run back to the island, to anywhere but here.

So instead he ran…to her. He had planned on taking her up on her standing offer to watch some tv, drink wine, and "just be." But the moment he reached her balcony and peered in her window, his plan flew out the window with startling speed.

Instead, he sat under the cover of darkness in his jeans and his leather jacket and watched her.

It had started off with a quiet hum and a slight tilt of her head to the beat of whatever she was listening to her in her headphones. She was perched on her couch, tablet in hand, looking totally at ease in the soft lamplight. Truthfully, the warmth the scene was practically dripping with pulled on him yet again, tempting him to join in and get a taste of it. And his hand had lifted to knock, when she suddenly jumped to her feet with a spring of energy that made him smirk.

There was a happy smile on her face as she ran over to her impressive entertainment system, flipping a few switches and turning the volume up. He watched curiously as she made it back to the center of the room as the music filled the room, filtering through the glass of the door to his years. He vaguely recognized it as something he had heard in the club, but couldn't really make out the words.

At first, she just leaned side to side, almost shrugging off a piece of herself. Glasses were set down and the ponytail holder came out as she started to dance.

Something caught in his chest as he watched her spin and jump around her living room, completely uninhibited and grinning like a fool. Pre-island Oliver would have been checking out her body, and while he certainly wasn't blind or ignoring his IT girl's surprisingly coordinated moves, his eyes were drawn to her face like a magnet.

She was the portrait of joy. Of life. The carefree smile on her face as she sang along to the lyrics tugged on the corners of his own lips until he found himself returning it. Watching her surrender to the music and completely let go loosened the tight knot in his chest that he had brought onto her fire escape.

This was who she was. Dancing there in a pair of bright orange sleep shorts and an incredibly soft looking tank top with Mickey Mouse on it, blonde curls shaking around free, she was life, color, joy, and everything else right with the world.

And he couldn't help the lightness that filled his own mind. There she was, pushing the dark back just a bit without even realizing it.

A part of him wanted to open the door, ditch his jacket and join her. To let it go for a night and just be alive with her in that moment. He knew she would welcome him, probably eye him for a moment, not recognizing that side of him at first before welcoming him and all his shades and shadows. And he would smile back, hoping that it communicated that she brought out that side of him. And then she would start dancing again, maybe even sing in front of him, all the while showing the smile that brightened his world more than she knew.

He snapped out of his reverie as the song changed and he recognized it immediately. He liked this one, and based on the beautiful woman in front of him, she did too. She had started singing loud enough for him to hear. The sound tugged on him a little more, but the words shot straight to his heart.

_But with you, I feel again._

Oh if she only understood the irony of those words.

The smile that spread across his face felt foreign and familiar all in the same moment. He wasn't sure the last time he had smiled like that - genuinely, without reservation. He wasn't sure the last time he had felt that light and carefree, even if it had faded some by the time he climbed down the fire escape and climbed onto his bike.

But he imagined it probably was before a certain blonde tilted her head at him.


End file.
